[Guest]

\'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

Alright guys, well since I am so new at this (Jeeps that is) i figured I would give you all the option to go crazy.

I am the proud new owner of the 1975 CJ5. Right now it is a pile . . .

As soon as it warms up a little i will be stripping it right down to the frame so i can do a groud up restoration.

From what i can see i will be keeping the Engine, and axels, and hopefully the transmission, but that right now is questionable (doesnt work?).

So, if anyone has any thoughts, ideas, comments, or past experiences on how, what, when, I should do things they would be most appreciated.

Give me any ideas you want. Upgrades, options, colors, tops, bodys (steel/fiberglass?), rust prevention, accessories, lockers, lift kits, wheels (style,size,etc), tires . . . everything . . . Like I said . . . just go nuts.

!!!Lets make this the longest thread on the board.!!!

-IJF

PS, if anyone has any pictures they could send me -- specifically of 1975 CJ 5's I would absolutly love it. -Thanks [email protected]

 

[webjeep]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

1) make sure the frame is in good shape
2) steel body
3) v-8
4) 1 ton axles, ok, at least a 9" and a 44
5) soa
6) lockers
7) krylon (insert color here)
8) spray bed liner inside and underside
9) coat frame with POR 15 or similar rust inhibiting coating
10) find a t-18 to bolt to the v-8
11) full cage
12) $20 wally world stereo and marine speakers
13) black wagon wheels
14) tires depend on what you wanna do with it
15) and a partridge in a pear tree

congrats on the acquisition you have come to the right place for info and a few smart a55 comments

oh yeah, welcome

-web

 

[1060]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

Box in the frame where the shackle hangers are attached, 2-3" past each end. Also box the frame where the rear of the front springs attach, `72-`75 frames are notorious for breaking at that point. If yours isn`t broke there yet, it will. Congrats on your find, enjoy it and wheel the crap out of it.

 

[Guest]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

Nice guys, you are awesome!

Keep em, comming -- feel free to get specific if you have time.

 

[jdoggmoney]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

You probably don't have power brakes or steering. Get em, a tilt wheel with smaller diameter will help comfort wise too. You can rob most of these parts from darm near any Jeep vehicle and make em work. If you lift more than 4" youll need a CV rear driveshaft.

 

[HOGHEAD]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

Power brakes or steering dont work when you stall the motor out on a steep hill ,,, so you might want to think about that ,,,,

 

[1060]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

Hoghead made a couple good points. I`ve always preferred the feel of manual systems. My first Jeep (`73 CJ5), was manual steering and man. drum brakes. Only draw back of manual drums is that they fill with mud and crud easily off-road and require complete cleaning when returning back from your trip. The crud traped inside can ruin the shoes and drums. Also, when they get wet, they stay wet longer than disks do. My current `72 CJ5 has 4 wheel disks controlled by the stock manual master cylinder and no proprtioning valve. I feel that I have exellent control of my brakes, although in panic situations the rear has locked up. I`ll be adding a prop. valve to the rear brakes to drop the pressure enough to correct that. I like manual steering also, but once you get to bigger tires, power is nice. My previous CJ never had anything bigger than 1200 x 15`s, so manual worked fine. My `72 has 35 in. M/T T/A`s and having power steering is great, until your stalled. Once stalled, its more difficult to operate than manual. There are pro`s and con`s to any modifications you`ll do, but it often comes down to personal preference.

 

[Guest]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

Yep. Only one.

 

[Caver Dave]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

Ditto on the power brakes going south when the engine dies...guaranteed to pucker you so tight your ears will pop! I'll be going to manual brakes later in the year...

The power steering IMHO is a must for offroading...manual, well it will work, but your forearms will look like Popeye! Not to mention the first time you get careless (keeping thumbs & fingers OUT of the steering wheel spokes) and get a digit yanked/torn off

 

[445]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

I'm guessing you havn't done a lot of wheeeling or wrenching experiance considering this is your 1st jeep. If i were you i would get the jeep running and driving instead of tearing it down for a full resto. Your profile says your a student and i know i sure couldn't afford a full resto as a college student and it would take years. A full resto is a huge undertaking and if you do it "right" it's not uncommon to spend over 20 grand on one by the time you get all the little things. Open up quadratec and just pricing out what it would run to replace evertyhing. Now double that. That's what you would probably end up spending. I'd get it running and driving nice then slap on a set of 31" muds or swampers, a full cage, winch, and a locker in the rear. With that set up it will be a great jeep to get some wheeling experiance in and good for most trails. Then slowly start more upgrades like power steering, fixing the body and frame, lift, tires, axles, trans mission swaps. It's much easier to do things 1 step at a time instead of a restoration.

BarrelRoll

 

[Guest]

Re: \'75 CJ 5 -- Your Ideas / Thoughts

Yep, first jeep. But i do have "wrenching" experience if by that you mean working on cars. Problem is, this jeep isnt just a "get it running and driving" kind of project. There literally is nothing left on the body -- really just the frame and drive line, plus some bits and pieces here and there. It needs to be done from the ground up . . . trust me on that